[News Today] PRES. OFFICIAL SELECTION MEDDLING

[LEAD]
KBS has verified that the detained Myung Tae-kyun said he had influenced the recruitment of a presidental office official through the President and the first lady. Myung's claims also cover other high-ranking appointments, including a presidential candidate's chief of staff. Here's more.

[REPORT]
Last month when a probe was looking into the president and first lady's alleged interference in candidate nominations, political broker Myung Tae-kyun suggested in a dinner that he had exerted influence on the recruitment of a presidential official during the formation of the Yoon administration two years ago.

It is a man identified only as 'A', an aide to a former lawmaker who passed the bar exam the same year as President Yoon Suk Yeol.

Myung-acquaintance conversation (Last month)
I spoke of him to the president, adding that they had passed the bar exam the same year. So the president told Chang Jae-won to take care of him.

Myung said that as he had informed 'A' of his phone call with First Lady Kim Keon-hee, 'A' expressed surprise.

Myung-acquaintance conversation (Last month)
So I called the first lady right away. 'A' said, 'Wow, it's like a movie', adding, 'How can you call her?'

Myung said that the president had taken care of 'A' through former lawmaker Chang Je-won.

As someone who was seen close to the president, Chang was then chief of staff for the president-elect.

Myung-acquaintance conversation (Last month)
The president would've taken care of him. He would've told Chang Je-won about him. He works at the presidential office.

This sounds smiliar to Myung's previous claims that he had influenced high-ranking personnel decisions, such as preventing Rep. Yoon Han-hong from becoming the then presidential candidate's chief of staff.

It has been found that 'A' worked at the presidential transition team and then served as a level-four official at the presidential office until recently.

Although he acknowledged his acquaintance with Myung, 'A' denied the allegations regarding Myung's role, saying that he had been picked in recognition of the contribution he made during the presidential election campaign.

Chang Je-won also denied the allegation to reporters explaining that he had selected 'A', since he had known him from the time he was a lawmaker. He further clarified, there was no direction given by the president or the first lady.